The Wrong Words:Full Story
by Mischief'sbeenManaged
Summary: MENTAL HOSPITAL AU TRIGGER WARNING SELF HARM GENERAL DEPRESSING CONTENT There's nothing left for the ashy blonde. Every time she breathes she's reminded of what a screw-up she is. It's all being crammed into her mind, overwhelming her. Eventually she chooses to take the dark route and follow a path that may lead to self discovery. Rated M for everything above.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello there! This story is a continuation/rewrite of another fanfiction I've written. I decided to rewrite it for several reasons one being I needed a recap and a plot I could work with. Due to my unexplained hiatus I lost this story to the depths of my mind and now I'm creating this second version to improve it. I'm going to put some A/N's on my other story instead and certain other things so you might want to go read the rough the first version first. The chapters will take around two weeks/a month because I've either got to completely rewrite them whilst sticking to the original chapter plot or add/take away certain things and mould my old crappy story to fit my new and improved plot.**

Maka was frozen in fear. Her father, Spirit, lay in _her_ room with someone who was n _ot_ her mother. And the pain came again, not to be washed away quite as easily as the last time. It was a never ending cycle for her. She tried so hard to ignore it. Ever since she was younger she'd been having problems with it. Ignored from a young age, Maka had never known what it was like to have truly loving parents. Hers would give her fake smiles and trinkets to keep her quiet. For her birthday they dropped her off at their neighbours house for the day. It was their treat. As the girl grew older, around the age of 5, the fights started. Before now Maka had believed that everything was fine. She had friends, two parents and a home. However after her first day at school the house the 5 year old came home to was not hers.

The moment she stepped through the doorway, small glass shards pricked at her thin soled shoes. Her mother just lunged across, legs long enough to do so. Maka

was left there, glass digging into her feet as she cried, unable to sit down. Her father, Spirit as she would come to call him, eventually noticed and lifted her up, swinging her round and offering her a plaster. Yet that night it was her mother who fought for her, Spirit saying it didn't matter what happened to her. The small child could only listen at the door in fear as her parents voices raised higher and higher, reaching a cacophony that terrified the girl.

More often than not Maka would hear her parents screaming profanities at one another, or she'd find them in a silence that was not allowed to be broken. On Maka's 9th birthday her mother bid her goodbye and left through the aging door, a single letter left to remind Maka of what had once been her mother. Spirit attempted to fix things with his daughter but despite his disgraceful efforts, he failed and instead just drew the line that would forever separate them.

School was worse. At the beginning of her first year as a little girl Maka was noticeably more happier and energetic. Halfway through her first term, the child's energy was decreasing with every waking hour. The second a teachers voice rose above what could be called 'the preferred level' Maka would visibly shrink, cower or whimper uncontrollably. The other kids in her year called her childish names and poked and prodded her with questions that didn't mean anything. As the children grew older and their minds advanced they began questioning of Maka's mental state. The old childish jibes turned into snide comments and sooner rather than later, flat out insults. Occasionally a teacher would step in but the girl paled and was immediately sent to lie down. Nothing else was done to stop the bullying. And somehow, miraculously the girls grades were always above average. Studying helped her feel normal at first. Something she could generally relate with other kids to. Or so she thought. The nicknames grew longer, more horrid, personal.

Finally, as she grew, she developed trust issues. It didn't help with the fact that she was supposed to be starting a new school. The DWMA in fact. Full to the brim with students.

Her first year was alright. Only eleven years old, hair in two mini pigtails, wearing what might have resembled a school uniform. That was the first time she had ever made friends for up to a year. Two very different friends. On one hand you had Tsubaki. Quiet, shy, calm. She seemed to stick out like a sore thumb rather than quietly backing into the shadows continuously.. But Maka and Tsubaki stuck together. Not talking much, just conveying their thoughts to each other. Then there was Death the Kid.

Maka knew Kid had 'problems'. Everyone did. The most prominent was his OCD. His desire and obsession for perfect symmetry was eerie and off-putting. He refused to negotiate with anybody on the matter. His father was the principal of the school and even he couldn't handle his son. Maka knew there were many things she was missing. If she had to guess she'd say insomnia or anxiety. For many reasons Kid was bullied. As was Maka and Tsubaki. Kid was easy to set off for some quick fun. A hair out of place, a small fleck of paint on his otherwise immaculate suit. Maka and Tsubaki were comic relief for those who enjoyed making people cry and cower in fear. They would threaten Maka, push her up against the lockers and demand she do their work. If refused they resorted to screaming and shouting and yelling. She'd cave in on the floor, unable to breath properly, unable to call for help. Often she'd pass out.

Tsubaki was given worse treatment. She was thrown around, forced to date older males as she herself was quite pretty in the right situation. Aside from the bullying she suffered at school her parents were often away for short periods of time leaving Tsubaki in the care of her older brother. Tsubaki's brother abused and used her in ways that such a fragile mind could cope with.

Then came second year. Maka was looking for somewhere other than her own home to stay, due to her dads tendencies to forget she existed. She'd stay out later to complete a set of homework or revise by herself but by doing this, her father seemed to be blocking her more than ever. She was no longer constantly there. Spirit began to to see no reason to supply Maka with everything a child needed. He rarely spent money on food that would surpase his eating requirements and often used Maka's bedroom as a playground. Yet this wasn't an innocent childlike setting. Sometimes he refused to answer the door or stayed out late and entered through the backdoor so he wouldn't alert his daughter of his presence.

Another thing was the depression. As you do, Maka realised things she'd been too naive to see before. Her mother had left her for good, her father would never acknowledge her full existence, her only friends had both left her and her memories were slowly weaving lies in her head – rewriting themselves to lock away some of the pain. Soon enough, Maka was alone again.

Age thirteen was when it got extremely bad. The bullies got worse, now that there was only one target. She spent many nights holed up in the library, not wanting to face her father, resulting in him bringing more women and overall, neglecting his duties as a parent.

Submerging herself in books, reality became distorted. She began to be violent and jumpy. The real world was rapidly dissolving and Maka did nothing to stop it. Due to an innocent mistake Maka had been required to wear short sleeves. Everyone saw the pale blemishes that stood out against her sickly skin but no one dared try to help her. They couldn't they wouldn't, it all meant the same to the young teenage girl.

It was on a Friday. Maka had sheepishly grinned at the few students who bothered to study and had answered a question in class. It was a miracle, astonishing to many people. The girl had sat in a nice public place at break where the bullies couldn't get her without being broadcasted to the whole school. _'Cause I give you all of me. And you give me all of you._ Maka vaguely recognised the song but she didn't know where it came from. She slowly moulded into the book that she gripped in her hands until a few minutes before the bell rang. By the time it did Maka was already halfway across the school and setting her bag down in her seat. As everyone walked in their gazes always seemed to fall on the teen. Certain something was wrong the students took it upon themselves to stay further away than usual especially when realising that the girl was wearing light pink sleeveless shirt in replacement of the dull grey ones that often donned her body.

 _It's unusual for you to look so normal. Why don't you just go and cry again._

Maka slowly hummed Dear Darlin'.

 _No. I have no reason to go through today like it's any other day and you know why._

 _I don't see why. After all you should help them celebrate early. They'll be so happy when you leave._

 _So? I'm not pleasing them._

 _You can't please anyone can you, you selfish brat. That's why you're going isn't it? Going to drop from Earth straight to hell no judgement needed for someone like you, eh?_

Maka narrowed her eyes. Still to this day the voice was as mysterious as ever. She hated it. Hated herself. Hated everything. But it was right. She was selfish. She wanted satisfaction and she knew how take what she wanted, whether by force or by other means. And so she offered her opinion a good few times, met people's eyes and apologised for accidentally slamming into someone. And when the day was over Maka sighed in exhaustion. Keeping up a façade for so long. It took it's toll on her mind. Why would anyone want to go through the trouble of dealing with the horrors she'd been through.

As her plaid skirt whipped around in the wind as she stood on the school roof. It was raining the girls hair soaked. It was loose, golden ash tresses flying on the rough breeze. Maka could barely see what was in front of her. The school building was incredibly tall and well structured, leaving many flaws that allowed access to the roof. In her head, on replay, the lyrics from Just A Dream grew louder and louder, urging her on.

 ** _I was thinking 'bout you, thinking 'bout me, thinking 'bout us what we gone be._**

Maka took a tentative step forward. Then another and another and another.

 ** _Open my eyes, it was only just a dream._**

 ** _So I travelled back down that road._**

 ** _Will she come back, no one knows._**

Little did she know, the 13 year old was crying. Tears streamed down her face as the stress, anxiety, fear overtook her. Her body moved on its own, it's true owner struggling to fight the small salty drops dripping down her face.

 ** _Will she come back?_**

 ** _No one knows._**

 ** _I realise…_**

Drawing a raggedy breath Maka smiled. A true and genuine smile. It made her look half sane. And then she threw herself of the roof just as a worker launched himself in her direction, curious as to what was moving in the cloudy fog.

 ** _It was only just a dream._**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay so hi again! Now, I know I said it would take around two weeks to put up a chapter but I started this one yesterday and I felt like finishing it. I was going to wait at least a week to put this one up but I am an impatient little brat so I had to post it now. It was relatively easy to edit so I suppose that helped A LOT. Just a few things to clear up: Maka is going to be on Floor 4 where they deal with those whose mental problems seem worse and more dominant who are aged 12-15. There are certain illnesses for each floor as well but I need to do a little more research before I add in that little feature. Floor three is for those who don't have serious problems and are aged 11-14. Floor two is for 10-6 year olds. Fire and Thunder are going to be around that age and Kilik will be with them because they have selective mutism and they only talk to him. Once I've found out the actual names for all the mental stuff I'll make a list and either put it in this story or my old one to make my life easier. Please leave a review, I don't care if it's criticism or leave a compliment I don't mind.**

 **Review:**

 **PagetDaPanda:** ** _Hi! I've not been bad, and yes, it has been a while. I can see you're doing alright or at least I hope so! Thanks for the stamp of approval. Also plot away my friend! They deserve whatever you come up with! And I'll do my best._**

Kid watched the pale cream van roll up to the door. Justin, his therapist, had held him up to ask if he was okay with trying a new approach during the therapy session and the two males had debated back and forth on the pros and cons. Of course Justin won since he had the power to do so and Kid was now supposed to be joining everyone else for lunch. Despite the order Kid could not help but stare out of the clear glass. It was there where he sat on the window seat and first eyed the van. on the window seat waiting until he saw the front door open wide. It was Marie.

Marie had worked at Shibusen for a little over a year but Kid still did not like her. He mumbled day and night about her stupid eye patch and the asymmetric-garbage she called a dress. He was glad that she was not made his personal therapist. Justin had the decency to dress symmetrically. Even now, as he was looking down at her opening the back doors, he couldn't help but cringe. Oh how he hated the very sight of her. He attempted to pull his gaze off of the woman and look elsewhere and all too soon his eyes were on the girl who had just stumbled from the van.

Kid perked up. The girl had two perfectly symmetrical pigtails and her outfit, a red pullover and short plaid skirt was also pleasing to see. He was glad that organisation was appreciated by somebody other than him. He saw no reason for it to be such an issue. The real issue was Marie's outfit. The older woman smiled reassuringly at the new girl who scowled into the ground. She was certainly not happy to live in a mental institute. Kid couldn't blame her. It wasn't the most secure habitat in the world and was connected with DWMA, a rich and overly populated school that Kid had once attended. The young boy leapt up and dusted off his suit. Suits were mostly symmetrical so they were his first choice of clothing.

He had casual clothes as well but her found them to be unfitting and comfortable never crossed his mind whilst wearing them. Kid smoothed down his hair. He was betting that Marie would bring the new patient to the lunch hall and he'd rather not miss out in the introductions. Besides someone would have to warn Liz or she might… have a few problems. He made his way, weaving through hallways, eyes trained to the floor in case he came across any asymmetrical trash upon the walls. He pushed open two oak doors and looked up.

Soul was sitting in the far right corner, eating some pasta whilst Black*Star stood on the table, berating him for ignoring the mightiest God on Earth. To his immediate left, he spotted Liz and Patti, his two somewhat friends. He made his way towards them.

"Hello Liz, hello Patty. There's someone new and they arrived just now. She's got blonde hair, just like you and she seemed to dislike Marie quite a lot."

Liz shrieked before seeing who was speaking to her while Patty gazed at where Kid stood with large, round eyes. Kid sat down next to Patty once Liz had gone through five different safety questions to make sure it was Kid and not some imposter.She was on guard, waiting impatiently. "I'll have to protect Patty from this girl she sounds like she's here to stay. She can't though. She might be a terrorist or a rapist or a bomber. Maybe a paranoid schizophrenic or a sociopath! What if she is a sociopath? Oh God I'm going to have to escape. This is bad. This is bad."

Patty nodded along to Liz, smiling lopsidedly. The three teens were startled as the door crashed open, causing many eating their lunches peacefully to scream, hide under tables, or burst into tears. Liz had dragged down Patty who was happily giggling away about crushing giraffes. A young girl named Jacqueline was now hyperventilating, having knocked into a cup of coffee on a nearby table. She was screaming about the noise hands over ears, ignoring the fact that blisters were going to start to form all over her chest. Kid was in shock, watching everything happen. Two young twins were hiding under a table whispering hastily to one another, their small forms shaking uncontrollably. A boy crouched there with them, comforting them.

Marie popped her head round the open doors just a few minutes later, casually strolling in with Nygus strolling up to talk with her for a few seconds. She was the therapist assigned to the lunch hall that day. They took it upon themselves to stop the distress. After all one was a therapist and the other a trained nurse and physiatrist in training. Nygus gently pulled Jacqueline up from where she still sat, muttering to the black haired girl. Jacqueline was shivering and near collapsing, refusing to leave Nygus' side. The tall brown skinned woman nodded at Marie once before nudging Jacqueline in the direction of the door and took her out of the room. Marie coaxed Liz out from under the tables and soon enough the twins had stopped their incoherent babbling and were now atop of Kilik's shoulder, fiddling with his long braided hair.

"I'm very sorry. That was our newcomer. Her name is Maka Albarn and I'm afraid she's a little unstable right now and not in the best position to meet you all. She'll be staying on floor three, in the girl's wing. She has her own room and her room is at the end of the hall, nearest to Tsubaki's. She'll be joining in with your group therapy session and she's 13 years old for anyone who wished to know."

With this a tall pale girl whimpered and curled up slightly, her long black ponytail swishing beside her.

"Now, hurry and finish your lunches. Kilik, Thunder and Fire, you all need to go back to floor two soon. I was also told to make sure you knew that you were receiving separate therapy sessions today as Dr Stein and Azusa think it will benefit you. For the rest of you don't forget about group therapy at 2 O'clock. Don't worry with alerting your carer about your therapy sessions as they will and do already know." Marie wiggled her fingers in a goodbye fashion. All eyes were on her as she left the room.

Black*Star began yelling and jumping around where he sat by Soul. "How can that new girl not want to see her GOD? I AM THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON THERE IS HOW CAN SHE JUST IGNORE ME! THIS IS AN OUTRAGE AND IT CANNOT GO UNHEEDED! SHE CAN'T NOT HAVE HEARD OF ME FOR I AM FAMOUS AROUND THESE PARTS!" From where he was slumped at his seat, Soul threw the eating utensils he had albeit unused and didn't even look up from the table when the tip of a butter knife flew into Black*Star's now red cheek. Patty giggled like a maniac and poked Black*Star, fighting against her sister who was simultaneously trying to drag Patty away from the blue haired 'God' and talking to Kid.

"Hey Kid? What if she is really here to take us away! What if it's all a test?" Liz whispered harshly her voice getting louder at the end of each sentence. Kid shrugged. He had the faintest feeling he'd once knew a Maka. In all honesty, he was pretty sure he had. But from where he did not know nor want to remember. The likelihood that he would relapse afterwards was great and he was planning to go clean for the day. So he shook it from his mind. If he relapsed, he'd surely be forced out of group therapy and into the 'infirmary' or a surprise hour long therapy session. He really did want to know the newcomer more so he kept quiet and cleared his mind.

"What does a shrug mean? She's taking Patty away! I knew it, I knew it. You could see it in Marie's eyes. This was a scam all along." Liz continued to lecture Kid up until a quiet bell sounded. Nygus walked into the large hall, Jacqueline close behind.

"Alright it's time for group therapy. Don't forget your individual sessions. Kilik, you take Fire and Thunder ahead of me and I'll catch you up on floor three. Sid will be waiting for you at the bottom of the stairs nearest the front left wing."

Everyone filed out of the lunch hall, most going with Nygus. All who lived on floor four thought that today, for once, group therapy was going to be more interesting. Most likely in a way that ended with someone injured and at the very least, three relapses. It wouldn't take long to find out anyway.


	3. Chapter 3

**Good morning/afternoon/evening to everyone reading this. It's been more or less two weeks since my last update and I nearly forgot to post this chapter. Unimportant news: I had a Biology test and we spent our History lesson holding a political campaign. I didn't really pay attention but it was fun so yeah. Important news: I've decided to add a chapter with all the characters illnesses after chapter 5 or so and then more chapters on their back-stories and why they have these illnesses. It's going to take a long time though since Kid has around 8, Maka 5-6, Crona loads etc etc.**

 **Also I've introduced an OC. I've wanted to since I first started writing back in October but I forgot until now. Their mainly here because I wanted more people to work with and because some illnesses just don't match the CC's and I really want them in the story. The OC's name is Halloween and they are biologically female. Their is a reason for their name and no, they do not identify as cis. They also wear face paint 24/7 for personal reasons. I've added Harvar however I'm making him younger than everybody else and putting him on Floor 3 with Kilik, Thunder and Fire. I'm considering putting this story on AO3 as well and if you want you can check out my YOI fanfic. It's not depressing and it's a group chat fic. Also read and review! Please? Just for Maka? Or Soul? Every review you give is a minute added to Soul's life, k?**

 _ **PagetDaPanda: I love updates too, they're really satisfying and Maka's not really scary she's just a little crazy. I've got plenty of time to write the next few chaoters quickly because Easter + Holidays = Too Much Free Time.**_

* * *

The group therapy room had bright purple walls and blue cushions scattered everywhere. The carpet was a single shade darker than the walls and was light and fluffy, perfect to sit or lay on. There were a few wooden chairs creating a circle in the middle and two or three comfier ones in the corners. A large notice board was hung opposite the door, right next to long but thin window which had limp and poorly hung green velvety curtains. Pleasing to the eye, all colours matching perfectly. Standing in the room already was Justin and Marie, and almost hiding behind them, was Maka, still wearing her clothes from earlier that Kid adored. Even the stitches were symmetrical. At least Kid believed they were and decided not to doubt this thought.

"Good afternoon kids! Today both Justin and I will be monitoring your lesson since we both have sessions with some of you," Marie winked, a hearty laugh ready to leave her lips. "We'll be doing introductions and questions today so nobody will miss much. Soul, go with Justin. Your session is first. Everyone else sit down. Even you, Maka."

The girl in question made her way to a seat once everyone had taken to watching her every move from their own chairs safety. Sadly it was right next to Liz's, who shrieked and demanded she be moved. Maka could barely keep herself from rolling her eyes, a small twitch at her hands. So, to stay in control, Marie showed Maka a seat near to Tsubaki. Maka sat down, keeping her eyes trained to the ground. Next to Maka was an empty chair, clearly being saved for another patient since it was openly avoided. Next to Tsubaki was Patty, Liz and then a black haired girl, Jacqueline. Just behind Liz and Patty was Black*Star, the seemingly obnoxious blue haired boy who was making Liz feel extremely paranoid. Beside Black*Star was a boy with two even more obnoxious looking towers protruding from his head. He kept muttering about needing to live up to his father's name.

Maka whipped her head round to avoid being caught staring as Black*Star's admiral blue eyes locked onto her. Instead, she studied the feminine looking figure who was sat at least three seats away from everyone, wearing a very lengthy checked shirt with a cute oversized hooded jacket. It struck her as odd when she saw the face belonging to the body since it was covered in what could be called 'face-paint'.

Last was Blair. The older girl certainly looked crazy, donned in all purple clothes with cat ears and whiskers drawn on. She sat curled in the berry blue cushions that were underneath a seat. She reminded Maka of a contortionist with the way the elder girl managed to fit in such a place. It was a weird group of people and Maka felt uncomfortable. Her sides still ached and her head was pounding. She really couldn't believe that she had failed. How though? How could she still be alive?

 ** _~Little Flashbacks Things will be written like this~_**

 ** _Unbeknownst to Maka, workers fixing the school roof were on break and surprisingly one of them decided to eat on the roof. As Maka's hair was blown around in the beginnings of a terrifying storm the man caught sight of the small and slight shadow. Not bothering with a flashlight the man slowly and carefully walked forward, eyes on the figure. It appeared to be a girl, soaked through from standing in her spot on the roof. She was wearing the DWMA seal of approval, a small little skull that came in many forms and the girl had one clipped onto her skirt and in her hair._**

 ** _Not fully understanding the situation the worker launched himself at her just as threw herself off the building top. He grabbed her leg, wincing at the sickening crack that meant he'd swung the girl into a wall. She groaned, half unconscious from pain. She reached up, scratching at the hand holding her whilst her conscience sat happily in a corner of her mind oblivious to the commotion surrounding her. The worker hissed when Maka's sharp nails came into contact with his skin but for the moment he refused to let go._**

 ** _The nails dug into his skin, drawing blood. His hand started to lose its grip. The rain was pounding his back, hand, eyes and face. Eventually all the man was holding onto was a shoe, one that stayed in his fingers as the rest of the child fell onto a jutting ledge, 20 feet down. Stunned, the worker fumbled for his phone in his pocket, somehow managing to call an ambulance, fire fighters and the police._**

 ** _~end of flashback~_**

Maka had broken two ribs, her arm and she'd earned herself a mild concussion. Her ankle was fractured and the shock of being caught in mid air and then dropped had nearly killed her itself. Oh, and she'd cracked her head open. The days in the hospital were spent being questioned and diagnosed. The girl in Maka's memory had scoffed when being told she could have multiple personality disorder and insomnia amongst other mental illnesses. Why she scoffed at the insomnia she didn't know. She'd been diagnosed with that a long time ago.

And now because of it, she sat in a room full of mentally ill teens.

"So why don't we start with something about ourselves. We'll go from right to left so Jacqueline then Kid and so on."

"My names Jacqueline and... I... Well... I'm a little shy." She shifted, obviously uncomfortable with the situation. And to think they were only ten minutes into the session. Next was Kid. "My name is Death the Kid and my father didn't want me. I like symmetry and I am not insane." His golden eyes seemed almost defiant, denying his illnesses. He sat down after a minute or two, bowing his head as if in shame. The next to stand up was Liz.

"I'm not telling my name unless that new girl promises not to try anything funny." Maka took this chance to growl at Liz, shrugging at the same time. "She's a feral beast! Did you hear that! She growled at me! I knew it, I knew it, I knew it, I knew it." Marie came over and guided Liz back into her seat, the words still flying from Liz's mouth.

There was a knock from the door as Patty shot up from her seat and began to introduce herself. Justin walked in with Soul following behind him, looking extremely frayed. "Ah, Justin, Soul. I assume you've come for Kid." Justin nodded blankly, the skull decorated earphones blasting music into his head, as Soul took a seat in the empty chair next to Maka.

Kid barely raised his head, just scampered out of the room, Justin leaving as well. Patty had sat back down, content with what she had said. Not that anyone had really been listening but Blair had already stood up, purring. "I am Blair, a magical kitty. Mrow. I have seven lives left so be nice to Blair okay?" She sat back down, pawing at her chair and pouting at Maka. No one in the room commented on the strange behaviour, opting to ignore it instead.

Ox refused to speak so his turn went to Black*Star. "I AM YOUR GOD! WHY DID YOU NOT SAY HELLO TO YOUR GOD ON ARRIVAL! THAT WAS RUDE YOU! YOU ARE A PATHETIC SUBJECT! YOU SHOULD BE CAST AWAY BUT I'LL ALLOW YOUR STUPIDITY TO PASS BY SINCE YOU'RE NEW! NOW BOW DOWN."

Maka blinked and decided to ignore Black*Star. The boy was most certainly insane and Maka guessed he had some sort of extreme God Complex. Black*Star felt insulted as Maka had barely acknowledged him so he popped up right underneath her face. The 13 year old shrieked and jumped, knocking over her chair in the process. Black*Star giggled quietly to himself before squatting down to Maka's face. Marie pressed a little button that she'd hidden in her pocket. It was a mini warning. If she pressed it again, another handler would be sent down to help Marie. The woman sensed a fight was present.

"Now now, Black*Star leave Maka alone. It's not nice to scare people like that. Come on, sit back down." As Black*Star did as he was told Soul abruptly stood. "My name is Soul." And then he sat back down again. Marie fixed her eyes on Maka who was setting her chair upright, anger blazing in her juniper coloured eyes. She silently asked the question that Maka shook her head to, not wanting to go next. Instead the girl with face-paint reluctantly stood.

"I'm Halloween. I have heterochromia iridis." The child opened their eyes, staring right into Maka's. One was a powerful chocolate brown, the other a dull grey-blue. They were fairly breathtaking as the combination worked well. Halloween sat back down.

Maka kept her eyes level with the wall behind Marie as she stood. She refused to let any of the kids here have an advantage over her.

"My name is Maka and I'd appreciate it if you all stopped looking at me. Even you Black whatever." Marie pressed her button again. Maka went to sit down but there Black*Star was, him being slightly taller gave him the right to look down on Maka who calmly gazed at him. Around the room, everyone was being sent to talk amongst themselves, the tension in the air unbearable. Patty was shrieking uncontrollably about giraffes that Liz and Tsubaki took no notice of. Kid spoke with soul in the corner behind where Maka had sat, in a comfy looking lapis coloured sofa. Halloween hadn't moved and Blair had just curled up under her chair again. Ox was dead to the world. And Black*Star and Maka just stared at each other.

"You can't tell me what I can and can't do! I'm a God and you're just a human." He accused. "Oh, so I'm insignificant and you are? Wow I see why you're stuck in a mental hospital. Just leave me alone already." The warning bells were singing in Marie's head but she had to help Jacqueline and Harvar (a quiet boy who Maka hadn't noticed) find their ear plugs.

"No I'm not ill I'm here because they need a God. I help them. So you need to obey me." "Obeying you is not going to help me in any shape or form so go away." Black*Star narrowed his eyes, not following what he was being told.

"Well then, because I am a God, I must give you one last chance to redeem yourself. If you choose not to then I'll curse you and you'll live a lonely life without a family or a single friend to support you. You won't last a day. Then you'll have to come back and beg for help and because I'm merciful I'll let you and heal you."

Maka felt a growl escape from her throat and she knew it was loud from the way Halloween flinched away from her. The 13 year old tried to comprehend exactly what Black*Star had said to her without attempting to harm him. She couldn't believe that he had called her dependent. If she was dependent on others she'd be left in the streets by now, since her parents refused to acknowledge her pathetic existence. She had to learn to live by solely looking after herself and this _kid_ had the nerve to call her weak and someone who'll easily sway to another? Maka could feel her back straighten inexplicably as something in her mind began twisting and turning. The girl was furious with Black*Star and her brain seemed content in making the words he'd said fit her tastes.

"Excuse me? If you think for one moment that I'm going to stoop to your level and beg for forgiveness from a kid with a God Complex then you really do belong in a mental hospital." Maka leaned in close to Black*Star's ear, a sinister smile poking at her lips. "No one will ever love you for who you are. You know deep down you're just a pathetic, worthless kid who's just playing dress-up to ignore the fact that they'll always have a miserable life." A full on smirk present on Maka's face the girl moved away and sat back down, not having anything else to say. Black*Star stood shocked, his eyes dangerously dark. He fully believed in himself and all those who followed him willingly but then this girl comes along and had the audacity to suggest otherwise? Black*Star resorted with the only method he knew.

Black*Star pulled back his fist and flung it towards Maka, aiming for her face. The girl ducked, stunned, before leaping up and sending Black*Star crashing into the ground. The noise of a chair toppling over alerted those who hadn't seen the beginnings of a fight. Jacqueline curled onto the floor, breathing heavily as she lost consciousness whilst Harvar stood unmoving and silent. Maka and Black*Star were throwing themselves at each other, refusing to back down when Marie tried to pull the two apart. Kid, Ox, Blair and Halloween were virtually unaffected by the screams of rage and pain flooded the room, Halloween watching with a sadistic expression. Soul felt a headache begin to form, feeling the presence of his demon. The remaining few in the session had dived for shelter only to find there is none and presently begin to cry. It was chaotic and catastrophic. Chairs were sent flying and punches were thrown. Curses rang out loud and clear as Marie tried to amend the situation. Just as she thought it couldn't get any worse, just as she'd managed to take Maka away from the blue haired boy, the 13 year old sunk tot eh floor and began crying and cowering.

Azusa smartly strode into the Group Therapy room, showing the slightest hint of confusion and a mingled look of fear and pity as she glanced round. Marie had finally gotten through to Black*Star who'd limited himself to throwing objects close to him and continuously screaming. Maka was still on the floor, half of her wanted to give out a high-pitched giggle and the other half just wanted to die. The mixture was not a pretty sight. Azusa sighed and waved at the door, signalling for Dr Stein and Nygus to enter. It took a full hour to gain control of the situation, Maka and Black*Star having been relocated to the 'Infirmary' because of the physical damage they may have imparted on each other.


	4. Chapter 4

**Oh my god it's been like, super long. 'M sorry. :) For anyone reading this, I had like one two weeks without wifi meaning I had nothing to do but listen to songs I'd downloaded, read a fanfiction I'd downloaded, play solitaire and mahjong on my laptop. Got pretty boring pretty quick. So I mean, I started like, 3 other fanfictions. One Voltron, one BMC and a Hamilton one.**

 **All chat fics.**

 **Honestly I start too many things. I mean I also wrote like 5 chapters for this thing but like. I wasn't sure whether to post it but that shit took so long to write I'm going to but at two week intervals because I am so** **unmotivated** **. I think that's quite obvious the way I said I would post this around 2 or 3 months ago and... Then... Didn't. Heads up I am totally failing my GCSE's I can't find the motivation to do anything school related so yeah. Fuck GCSE's. They suck and I hate them. Anyway yeah if you're still reading I'm kinda wondering why you are. Thanks. Anyway I'm gonna go. Merry Christmas or something. Also I did not check over this I can't stress enough how unmotivated I am. If there are any mistakes my fault entirely. Bye.**

 **Right I forgot. Remember how I got hit by a car? Well that's another reason why I didn't post the chapter when I promised. It's complicated but I had a few problems because of that and it didn't really get sorted until mid-May/beginning of June so... Yeah.**

When Maka woke up, she was in a cream coloured room. She was lying on a bed, wrapped in pristine white sheets. She could tell her hair was loose and if she shifted her head to the side she could see that a curtain was wrapped around her area, to give her some privacy, maybe. She could remember everything. She could remember not knowing how to channel her emotions, not knowing how to respond to the bright blue boy who seemed to harbour the same insecurities she did.

If she was accused, she was going to blame the entire thing on Black*Star. She felt no desire to take claim of her wrongdoings unless forced to, she still had her pride somewhat intact. Maka's thoughts faltered as she glanced down at her sides, carefully pulling up the austere t-shirt that had replaced her familiar pull-over. Unblemished bandages were wrapped around the girl's torso in a prestigious manner. The memories she had recollected told her that she had been on the receiving end of a wooden chair being flung in her direction. A boastful smile adorned her face as she remembered snapping out her legs, causing Black*Star to lose his balance and fall into Marie who then restrained him. The wound itself wasn't too concerning, just one that she'd reopened. A disquieting noise gained her attention and she watched as her curtain was slowly pulled and Black*Star peered round the edge.

"Sorry Maka."

The words sounded mildly slurred and practiced. They were probably forced out of him. The most likely suspect was Marie and sure enough, the blonde haired perky therapist popped her pretty little head over Black*Stars. She smiled reassuringly at Maka and brought her meticulously manicured hand to rest on Black*Star's shoulder. Disappearing again, the two teenagers were left alone. "We're in the 'Infirmary'. Everyone else is at dinner. I woke up this afternoon because I'm cooler than you. My arm was cut but it's fine now. Gods are supposed to be immune to pain though. Here have a chocolate bar. I took it from Marie's stash."

Black*Star tossed the bar of chocolate over to Maka. It was his half-hearted attempt at an apology. As a God he had more important matters to see too but being forced to think over his actions had caused him enough pain for the time being.

All Maka did with the chocolate was hide it under her pillow. She was in no mood to eat let alone talk. Being stuck with one of the noisiest patients was certainly irritating, seeing as anyone else would have left her be by now. Scowling she slithered beneath her white covers, annoyance increasing every minute. She was tempted to poke out her hand and stick the middle finger in the direction of the camera but she figured they'd call her out on disciplinary issues. The sound of the door being opened emitted a loud and obvious groan from the pigtailed girl, still bent on hiding.

Soul wandered into the room, his hair held back by a headband. Tsubaki followed, a lot more nervous than he was. She glanced up only occasionally, not daring to keep eye contact with anything for longer than a few mere seconds. Azusa wanted them to be released and taken to the safe room and previously Kid had been the one who'd volunteered to go but sadly the infirmary's symmetry had stopped him from ever stepping foot in the horrid room. More so after his failure of a therapy lesson.

Maka made sure to keep the crisp white covers over her head as the two approached. Black*Star yelped and jumped onto Maka's bed, causing the girl to hiss and withdraw her legs, a haughty expression on his face. "You two have come late! How dare you disappoint the mighty Black*Star. I was left with this non-believer for hours. But you've finally come loony loony Soul."

Black*Star cackled at his little inside joke that Maka nor Tsubaki or even Soul actually understood. Not wanting to be bothered for any longer Maka kicked out her legs. Black*Star promptly lost his balance, having to hold onto Tsubaki's arm which she'd flung out to stop the boy falling.

Although she herself couldn't see it Maka guessed Maria had peered round the curtain again which was why there was a prolonged silence after the incident.

"Azusa wanted us to go to the safe room until we were escorted to our rooms. There's also food waiting she said. We've eaten already so it'll be just for you two." Maka wanted to know what the safe room was but decided to just wait her stay out in the infirmary.

Or she tried to but after a minute of unresponsiveness Black*Star took it upon himself to jump back atop of Maka's sheets, yelling the most ludicrous things. Reeling back half in pain, half in shock Maka had half a mind to call Marie, who she knew was listening. Instead, she let her irrational side throw the covers forward, snarling as she cried "What! Do you lot want! From! Me?" With each phrase she added kick to Black*Star succeeding in pushing him off her bed. She could hear the rustles of a magazine and knew Marie was attentively listening.

Tsubaki took a flurry of steps forward to help Black*Star up before darting her eyes to the floor. "P-please don't y-y-yell at him. He's o-only-only trying to help-p you." Her long black hair swished behind her.

"Maybe he shouldn't try then." Maka spat, grabbing the band that sat on the dresser and flinging her hair up into a single ponytail. She groaned as she sat down on her bed. Everything in the room was white, including her new outfit and the single hair band she'd been gifted. Soul disappeared, his voice hushed as he spoke to Marie. Oh yes, tell the teacher that Maka's being a delinquent. Exaggerate the details to get her into trouble. Perfect Maka with her perfect grades and her perfect record yelled at me miss. Perfect Maka with her perfect grades and her perfect record threatened me miss. Perfect, perfect, perfect- Maka felt her eyes sting a little and scowled as she brought up her arms to wipe at her tears. The material of the shirt was very soft she noticed subconsciously.

As Maria was asking Azusa if it was okay for the young blonde to stay in the infirmary and eat, Maka stood up and declared loudly that she'd go. Reaching for the white socks and slippers that completed her already white outfit, Maka noticed her red pull over in a neat pile with the rest of her clothes. She pulled it on and shuffled to the door, clearly impatient. "I thought we had to go to some safe room? Or was it all a joke?" Marie hurriedly put the phone down to Azusa an grabbed a set of keys of the desk she was next to. Black*Star jumped up screeching 'yahoo' as he did, Maka narrowing her eyes at the blue haired boy. She really wanted to punch him but supposed if she did there would be some kind of consequence. Tsubaki sighed, a little relieved at the lack of conflict there'd been. She followed the group, grinning a little and bouncing along with Black*Star. Soul kept the back, muttering to himself. Maka shook her head and carried on forward, careful not to fall behind.


	5. Chapter 5 Pt 1

_**SCREAM**_

 _ **I HATE SCHOOL AND SCHOOL HATES ME. WE'RE A HAPPY FUCKING FAMILY**_

 _ **ALSO THIS IS PART ONE OF TWO BECAUSE I TOTALLY SET AN ALARM FOR TODAY**_ _ **LIES**_ _ **AND I TOTALLY REMEMBERED TO FINISH THIS CHAPTER OFF**_ _ **LIES I FORGOT**_ _ **AND I DIDN'T RUSH THE ENDING**_ _ **I DIDNT LIKE THE PREVIOUS ONE SO I DELETED IT ALL LOL**_ _ **AND DECIDE TO CUT IT IN TWO AND FINISH IT TOMORROW**_ _ **BASICALLY WHAT IVE DONE**_ _ **SO  
The spacing is super fucking weird for this chapter because I'm rushing at the moment and I'm probably never gonna sort it out like, ever. So deal. **_

As Marie led the group of four down winding hallways, Maka could feel her brash self fade away and lock itself up, hiding underneath all her worries and insecurities. She dragged her legs one step, another. Was it really a good idea to let her in an enclosed space with a group of people she didn't know? Last time, well, her memory was becoming more fuzzy. She could say for certain that the last time had ended with a rather violent interaction. Was she really to believe that she herself had instigated something like that? All through her school years she remembered having violent outbursts. Her memories were all fuzzy but she knew they happened. Why would she start a fight? She didn't know.

 _She didn't know._

But she did. Someone knew. Who knew? Not her. Maka was close to a standstill, her own mind warring itself. Was it always this noisy? Not that it was noisy? Or was it? Was she just looking to start another fight? Maka didn't think so but then again Maka didn't know what she thought did she? She blinked.

Oh.

She was in a hallway, following Marie. She had thought her feet were moving but they weren't, she was stuck in static. She tried to lift her foot off the ground. Nothing. Tried to swing her arm forward. Nothing. She strained her ears to hear through the fog that clogged them. Voices. She leaned towards them and her world began moving again. Maka jolted and tripped and landed on her hands and feet, coughing slightly.

Marie spun to take in the coughing girl before shuffling down to her size and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Maka? Can you hear me? Are you alright?" She trusted her three patients to not go anywhere unauthorised while she dealt with Maka. Maka shook her head despondently before looking up and her face broke into a large smile. Staggering to her feet she kept her smile and brushed herself off with little difficulty.

"I'm good. Just tripped. No harm done." Her words were careful and the tone didn't match the way her eyes shone or the way her lips stretched in fake glee. Marie cocked her head before standing herself and moving to unlock a door at the end of the corridor, She switched on the lights and ushered her wards into the room, swinging in herself and pulling the door to. The room was decorated with beige walls and lilac furniture, the shades only just matching. To the right in the corner was a smooth wooden table with smoothed out edges. Pillows and cushions stuffed in each corner gave the room a child-like aura. The chairs were rounded like the table with pastel blue covers draped over the edges and fixed into place. Scratches could clearly be seen on some walls, but they were few and far between, no concern of Maka's.

The other contents of the room didn't reach Maka's eyes as they located the three trays of food beside the two empty plates. The logical side of her reasoned it was dinner for her and Black*Star if they truly had missed the nightly meal. Eyes transfixed on the table Maka almost tripped up yet again but found herself steadied by Soul's outstretched hand. Silently thanking him, Maka peeled her eyes away from the food to glance at her companions. Soul had withdrawn his arm, his gaze directed at the walls littered with scratch marks. Marie hadn't entered the room herself and was whispering with Black*Star about something of apparent importance. The blue haired teen fidgeted uncomfortably until his eyes caught Marie's soft smile as she waved him off. His grin grew as he dived onto the nearest pile up of cushions. Maka bit the inside of her lip, chewing thoughtfully.

"Right, I've got a bit of paperwork to get to but Azusa will be here in no more than two hours. In that time, I expect you to all get along. I will be watching. Also Maka the food on the table is for you and Black*Star and on that note, Black*Star?" The boy in question glanced up with an innocently blank face.

"Remember what we talked about and don't work yourself up. I'm just down the hall as well so if anything happens I'm nearby. With that said, enjoy yourselves before bed." With one last finger wave, Marie pulled the door close and her footsteps receded down the hall. With her decreasing energy Maka sunk into the nearest cushion pile and sighed in relief as the soft and comfy cushions surrounded her body, leaving her knees and face visible. If she weren't so tired the girl would've pretended to swim in it.

When she found the energy to life her head, Maka saw Black*Star's eyes watching her. She let her gaze drop flat as he continued to stare at her. Eventually he blinked. Maka ripped her arms from under the cushions to catch his attention. Growing irritated at the spaced out boy Maka kicked her foot out and nudged him, not trusting herself not to pelt him in the shins. He snapped his head round wildly before settling on Maka and grinning.

"So Marie said I've got to make sure you eat you fill. So you gonna eat or what?"

Maka groaned into the nearest pillow.


	6. Chapter 5 Pt 2

_**Hi. I was ill for two weeks after posting the first part of this. Very ill and very annoyed. But anyway, I've decided to post at least once a month and maybe more if I can. Thank you for taking time out of your day to read this! Any comments are appreciated.**_

All Maka knew for the next half an hour was silence. Quickly any sounds that might have brightened the mood had been quietened and now all of the occupants kept to themselves.

Lost in her thoughts, Maka's mind whirled, running, running, running further away from the sanity it dreamed of. Her head felt foggy, her body heavy as time rolled on. What time is it she'd ask herself again and again. How long had they been there, in this room with scratches on the walls and plump cushions in the corner and a table with rounded edges and matching chairs. Maka could feel her reason floating as her mind mulled over the thoughts in her head. Thoughts that revolved and revolved And all of a sudden reality hit her, with the force of a raging fire. Maka blinked, eyes heavy, mouth drying. Groaning under her breath she pulled herself up. The slight ruffles of her outfit and movement only gained Black Star's, who only gave her a curious glance, attention before going back to the fiddling and torturous thoughts in his head.

Maka approached the table, taking an apple from the middle. She propped herself upon a chair, clutching her knees with her head resting on them as she bit into the red fruit. Slowly information began settling into place in Maka's frayed mind and her thoughts cleared up. Sighing, she put the apple back down, knees pulled tight, eyes closed off from prying minds.

They looked a sight, mindless, wandering children, blank faces and dead eyes. One staring at a wall continuously, one lost in a world only for them, one quietly fiddling, unsure of what to do with themselves, and one hiding away in a cocoon.

Slowly time caught onto the group of four and Tsubaki calmly coming to her sense and with practiced precision, spun and sat down, untying her hair. Trying to gain the attention of the other occupants, Tsubaki nervously coughed into her hand, a blush creeping up onto her face out of slight embarrassment. When she was certain all eyes were on her, she gestured for the teens to sit around her, in a circular fashion. Clearing her throat, Tsubaki's blush grew as she noticed everyone gazing at her intently.

"S-sorry. Please stop l-l-looking at me li-like that. I-I just thought it might be nic-ce to t-talk-k." Catching sight at Maka and Soul's expressions Tsubaki felt the urge to cower away behind her curtain of hair. "It's-s j-just-t that-t we d-d-don't kno-know Ma-ma-maka very wel-well yet. A-a-a-and we st-till hav-ve an hour left-t i-in h-here. T-tog-g-gether. Soithoughtwecouldjusttalkandwaittogether." Tsubaki's head was hidden as she ducked to watch her hands nervously rub against her legs simultaneously. "You don't have to if you don't want to." She muttered, her tone defeated and quiet.

Souls blinked, scarlet eyes bearing through her, and gradually brought his shoulders up into a shrug. An unreadable expression sat upon his face. His hands were neatly folded on his lap, legs crossed and back straight. His white hair was curly and soft, the bangs delicately hanging past his eyes. Maka, too, shrugged, as she was yet used to the idea of others wanting social interaction with her. No matter how much she wanted to outright say no, it was as if her body was too tired to move, too tired to do anything but comply. Black Star was buzzing with a newfound energy, eyes wide and wild, never focusing. His knee continuously bounced, plainly showing the boy's excitement as Maka stared at it, begging it to stop. Tsubaki lifted her head cautiously to check if the three were still there. And they were, Quirt confidence poured into her as a smile graced her and she glanced In Maka's direction. "So, what's your f-favourit-te colour?"

Maka's head swam with confusion. Wrapping her head around the fact that the black haired wasn't prying was hard and Maka desperately tried to convince herself it wasn't to lure her into a false sense of security. Thinking back, Maka realised she hadn't heard such a question in a considerably long time, colours having slowly faded from her world. Unable to answer, a stabbing feeling of unexplainable guilt washed over her momentarily. "Don't know. Don't have one." Her answer was choked out, forced. Her arms snaked round her waist and she hugged them tight.

"Soul?" Maka listened as Soul muttered he didn't have one either, wondering if this was when normal teenagers would high five and yell. Where they'd grin with happiness. Black Star was eager to answer, listing many discrete and specific colours such as azure and vermillion. He named them all proudly, attempting to describe in great detail the distinction between them all. Tsubaki's answer was simpler yet still complex, "The colour of the sky minutes before dawn."

There were more questions after that, Tsubaki going out of her way to think of the most outlandish ones in order to get more than a vague response from both Soul and Maka. Black Star was undeniably enthusiastic over the whole thing and kept everybody immersed in the conversation with his long winded and surprisingly detailed answers. As the hour passed, Maka could feel her eyes drooping and wanting nothing more than to leave this room, she was ecstatic when Azusa opened the door, scanning them all with a watchful glance before proceeding to take them to their rooms. When she returned to collect the food, she marked down a few quick notes, intending on reporting them later.


	7. Chapter 6

_**I went soul-searching in the past couple of weeks and by soul-searching I mean I found useful information to make this more realistic. So the consistency of this story has officially gone to shit from here on out until I go back and redo everything. Again.**_

 _ **P.S. Part of this is just me self projecting and then amplifying the self projection by 10 because fun times anyway. Mentions of swearing and suicide.**_

Approximately a week later, at 8am, Maka was sitting on her bed waiting. She hadn't slept much that night, her mind preoccupied by thoughts of her parents. Her laceless trainers were untouched, her feet dangling over them. As a knock sounded Maka slipped her feet into them and padded over to the door, opening it to be greeted by a stern face framed by neat short black hair. The young girl tried her best not to flinch as she stared into Azusa's eyes. Without a word, Azusa turned and gestured for Maka to follow her, choosing to ignore Maka's feeble and quiet "Good morning."

Maka kept her head up, determined to remember the hallways they were walking through. It was always good to be prepared for anything that may thought of the endless possibilities as they took another right turn, documenting everything in her sight. Maka could only guess why every bouquet of flowers was built using only yellow and purple and as well as why the rugs appeared to be nailed down. She vaguely took notice of the sign above the door she entered, glancing around the room as Azusa sat down in a black leather chair. Behind her was the only window Maka had seen so far, flanked by deep brown bookcases that were lied with various pieces of reading material. The walls and carpet were a rich green, giving off a more natural vibe. Maka took a seat in the chair opposite Azusa, still taking in the room. The clearing of a throat brought her back into the moment, taken aback by the steady cold stare directed at her. In Azusa's hand was a bright red wristband labelled 'Maka Albarn' in bold. Underneath was her room and floor number."Wrist."

Maka held out her arm, head tilted as the band was wrapped around it. "You may have noticed some of the other patients wearing these." No, actually, Maka had no memory of seeing a red wristband on anyone. Perhaps she'd been more interested in remembering names and faces than peering down at everyone's wrists. "These are so we're able to identify you at all times. The colours vary. In short red means you need more attention and are increasingly unstable." Maka didn't particularly agree with the 'unstable' part nor the fact that her privacy was was becoming exceedingly scarce. "We implore that you do not attempt to remove the band at any given time." Nodding, Maka tuned out. Despite her scary appearance, Azusa didn't seem very attentive.

"Now we will begin. Maka, I would like you to ask me any questions you may have at this present time."

Maka tuned back in, her curiosity bubbling up inside of her. The first question spilled out of her mouth before she had time to think. "Are my parents allowed to visit me?" And she pulled back, curling her arms into each other and narrowing her eyes.

Azusa nodded, as if she was expecting this. "Yes. They can either call and book a visiting session or visit during the monthly visiting sessions we hold every two weeks. Our next one is in five days. Is this a problem."

"Yes. It's definitely a problem." Maka didn't understand why the words kept coming. She didn't want to say anything at all and yet here she was, basically defying Azusa. It was gratifying, sure, but didn't really help her at all. "I don't want to see them. I'm refusing in advance. Note that down." There it was again. Was she really speaking or was it all in her head. Maka glanced at Azusa;s hands as the woman scribbled something down. No, no she'd definitely said that.

"Anything else you wish to add?" Maka shook her head, certain she didn't have anything she wanted to say. "Well e have somewhere to start. Tell me why you don't want your parents o visit you?"

Why? Maka didn't know. She hadn't meant to say those things had she? Well, she probably had. Maka couldn't tell. Her own thoughts were a mess, her own intentions unclear. Was she just saying it because she knew they wouldn't want come? That they would rather do anything other than care or their child. Perhaps she was just trying to justitfy her actions. What actions? Did it even matter. She realised Azusa was still waiting for a response so she bit her lip and threw together what she believed to be an acceptable answer.

"Because they will never be able to care or show love for me. I'm a burden that has been removed from their shoulders."

Oh.

Oops.

Maka hadn't planned that at all. She was supposed to say that she didn't need to burden them anymore. Typical self-deprecating things. She knew her parents cared for her, at least enough to keep her sheltered. No matter how significant they still cared? Maybe it was for their own benefit. That would be okay as well. Maka's eyes widened as she brought her shoulders up. Was she defending her parents? The two people she hated and in return, hated her? Did she really believe that her father who'd cheat constantly and only ever drink and throw fits, eat all the food, take all the money, lock the doors so she couldn't get in the house, throw away all of her belongings when they started taking up more space than he thought necessary? Or her mother who was never around, who blamed her for not looking after her father, who forced her to work and never stop, to use at her own disposal? Maka bit her lip in effort to keep a humourless laugh escaping. She supposed she was.

Without knowing it Maka had started crying, the tears not unnoticed by Azusa who simply pushed her glasses further up her face. "Maka, could you explain in a little more detail? Why do you believe they don't love you? In what ways are you a burden? We have all the time in the world if that helps."

A switch was flipped in Maka's head. The blonde raised her head, her eyes steely and cold. "No. No it doesn't help. Don't lie to me." Maka's head was swimming. Count 1,2, 3. Count 1, 2, 3. Not working. Tick, tick. Tick, tick. Annoying. Yell, scream. Loud, louder, loudest.

"Mak-"

"Shut up. You're lying. This isn't going to help at all. We have all the time in the world do we? Okay. So I can take as long as I want to answer. I could take hours, days, years. Would you really wait? Do not lie to me."

"Maka you need to understand that we are trying to help you. Please calm down and consider your position here."

Maka sprang to her feet and snarled. She felt vulnerable, she felt scared. She didn't want to think, wanted to shut off her mind and just exist for a moment. She wanted to be able to cry and scream and break down without the judgement of others bearing down on her. She was furious, she was violated. She wanted to shout. So she did.

I do not want your help. I do not want to be stuck here until some old bitch decides I'm not gonna put a bullet through my head at the first opportunity. I'm sorry for not wanting t be a nuisance and for not wanting to waste your o so precious time okay? I'm so, so sorry for constantly stressing people out and becoming a burden just by making people aware of my existence. I try not to pursue love, joy, happiness at the expense of others and despite being miserable and despising myself I still try to make it easier for others, I really do. If it takes someone harassing someone else every single bloody day to make them feel better then they can beat and bruise me till the cows come fucking home!"

The pigtailed girl took in a shaky breath, focusing on keeping her body still. She was exhausted and all she wanted to do was sleep and forget. She was a leech, sucking the happiness from those around without meaning to, a beacon for disaster. So what if she occasionally broke down? She was compliant, obedient, restraining herself as much as possible. Why was everyone always questioning her? Did she have the answers? Was she as selfish as everyone said she was? Who was she?

"I didn't complain. I didn't fight back. I didn't mean to upset anyone. I just wanted to a break I just wanted it to stop. Is it selfish, to be so tired? Is it fucking selfish to want to say goodbye and be left alone for once? Answer me! Is it that fucking bad that I have to be questioned because of my fucking actions when everyone else around me just gets a pat on the fucking back and good job! Well if so then well fucking done because I'm done, I'm so, so done and I want it to stop and I can't do this."

Tears were racing down the blondes cheeks, her hands rythmically rising and falling to wipe them away. Her throat was on fire as she backed away towards the door, surprise lighting her face as she choked out one last sob and fell to the floor. Azusa was on her feet in an instant, kneeling down beside the sobbing Maka, and gently lifting her elbows up, prising her from the floor. It was a slow procedure, Azusa unsure if the child before her was even aware of what was going on.

Maka could feel her tears dry, disgust building up as her uncomfort grew. Her vision had cleared, and she found herself staring into Azusa's face again, this time, eyes filled with concern. Concern that she wasn't doing her job properly or concern for Maka. Concern for her herself or concern for Maka. Concern for the breakable or concern for Maka. A sudden fury fueled her, replacing the anguish and despair she'd been feeling moments before. Maka lost her rationality, was too caught up in the moment to care. She rose to her full height, eyes burning and pricking with more unshed tears. She glowered at Azusa, hating the pitying look directed at her. Hating the confidence this woman had in her abilities.

Suddenly Maka knew what she wanted to do. She had goal, a reason, a passion. She wanted to ruin this woman, this thing that pretended to care so much and most of she wanted to defy her. She wanted to look her in the eye and say 'no' to the simplest thing. She wanted to walk away and refuse the guilt that would eat at her, eat away at her being. So she did. She spun around, pigtails whipping through the air.

"I'm excusing myself. Have a good day, Ms Azusa."

And then she was gone. The door was left swinging on it's hinges, bouncing open right after Maka had slammed it shut. An astounded Azusa left behind, crouching on the floor, confused and concerned.

A/N

This turned out to be a little longer than I expected and I deviated from my original plan so I've got to redo the next chapter which won't take long I guess. Merry Christmas y'all.


	8. Chapter 7

_**scrEEch hAppy nEw yEArs y'All Omfg**_

 _ **Warning: A total of one swear word and mention of death and arson. Enjoy.**_

Maka grew silent on her journey to the dining hall, becoming aware that someone had started following her. With a glance backwards Maka could confirm the figure stalking her and groaned, having not wanted to run into any of the therapists so soon. Even when Maka sped up Marie trailed behind at a safe but constant distance, eyes pulled tight in worry.

The young girl cleared her head, taking deep breaths in an attempt to remain as level-headed as possible. She winced as she recounted the previous events, placing the blame onto Azusa. Maka valued herself for the honesty of the words she spoke, considering her tactlessness a positive feature of her personality. Lies grated on her nerves, especially if those who spoke them expected Maka to respect them and pay attention to what they told her. Every word Maka had said was true. It was Azusa who'd lied, who'd failed to appeal to Maka and while the woman certainly had redeeming qualities Maka wasn't keen to go through them, her wide green eyes overcome by madness.

With a jump the girl realised she'd come before the two great oaks of the dining hall. She stood perfectly still, seemingly in a fully rational state of mind as Marie caught up, waiting a few seconds before cautiously pushing open a door. The older blonde glanced back for a split second, expecting to see the pigtailed child behind her. And it was that moment when Maka moved, bustling past with a flick of her leg that sent Marie tumbling to the grounding view of everyone.

Scanning for an empty table Maka strode towards the far left corner of the room, her presence being noted and mildly feared by those she passed. The 4th floor occupants didn't all hush and stare as she wandered across the room but it was clear the majority had beared witness to Marie's struggle for balance and Maka's radiating fury.

Among one of the groups Maka had passed was Kid, who, unfortunately, had been wishing to discuss something with her. It had been crossing his mind since she'd arrived but he'd have to wait even longer until he could confront her. As his eyes drifted over her person he noted a disturbance in her symmetrical appearance. There, on her right arm, dangling from her wrist, was an almost identical bright red wristband. Almost identical to the one on his wrist. He grimaced, understanding the meaning, realising he had another that merited an urgent discussion with Maka. Sighing, he turned back to the conversation Liz and Patty had started, Soul not engaging with anyone as he spooned cereal into his mouth.

"Why do we have to do tests anyway? And lessons? We're not at school, we're not here for that! I don't want to learn! I want to have fun." Patty groaned and pouted, snuggling her head into her crossed arms.

"Isn't it weird? We're probably just locked up here as some government experiment. Pathetic. Even if I was here willingly it's not because I want to be educated. All I need to do is look after Patty. How can I do that here? Locked up in some God forsaken hell hole I don't understand!"

Patty perked up at that, the light in her eyes maniacal. She pouted, frowned then grinned to herself, eyes widening and narrowing in unison. She stood, being pulled back down by Soul almost immediately, spoon resting in his mouth. Patty giggled once then spoke, her voice loud and forceful.

"No Liz! Hush! We need to learn! We need to school… We! Must! Learn! Then we can escape before we're subjected to horrifying government experiments that will frazzle our minds and make ur bodies writhe in horror. Ahahahaha!" Patty's laughter died down as Liz began to hyperventilate, convinced of her sister's words. Patty, noticing the effect she'd had on her elder sister, waved her arm in the air, screaming for Marie who'd regained her dignity while patting Liz on the shoulder as a personal way of calming her down. Frowning, Kid set his attention to the toast on his plate that had now gone cold,the butter having melted long ago. He checked the time, 8:33, before rising from his seat and weaving his way to Maka, who hadn't made a move to recieve any sort of food whatsoever. Ignoring this, Kid sat down directly in front of her, his resolve already dissipating.

"Good morning, Maka. It's good to see you… well." Maka observed Kid's nervous posture, the way his eyes flashed down to her wrists. With her left hand she pushed the bracelet up, underneath the fold of her jumper. Of course it was uncomfortable to have people continuously peering down at your wrists, probably why Maka hadn't been lucky enough to see anyone wearing a bracelet such as hers.

"I see Azusa has gifted you with a tag. It appears you're here for the long haul then, judging by the colour." In response to Maka's puzzled expression the boy pulled up his own sleeve briefly, to present his own red tag. "Not many people receive these tags. Soul and I both have one and we're the only ones who've been here nearly two years. Do we look remotely mentally stable in any way?"

Maka had no other option than to agree. While she hadn't seen much of Kid or Soul, it was clear they weren't as well put together as an onlooker may believe. If you looked deeper you could see Soul's red rimmed eyes, with the dark bags that hung under his eyes every day. You could identify the staggering walk of his, someone who wasn't ready for the world. Quiet, withdrawn, a devil hiding inside.

Kid was upfront. Tactless, not in the same way Maka was with her misplaced comments and brutal honesty. He had no fear confronting things he did believe were right. His self control was lacking and his eyes only observed, never blinking, never stopping. The way tears would pour yet he'd remain composed, oblivious to his own torment. He'd wake one day, a giggling maniac, set to kill.

And while Maka did not know what was wrong with them, she respected the cold and calm composure they both had. It was why she, for all the fury she'd been fueling moments before, remained silent and calculating, forcing herself into a rational state of mind.

And she had to admit, she was fairly curious to hear what Kid had to say.

"I've asked Marie, Azusa, Justin. I've asked Nygus, Sid, Stein on occasion. I ask them two things. If I'm going to improve. And if I'm going to leave any time soon. All they can do is glance at my wrist and shake their heads. We're the hopeless cases. The ones they have no hope of curing. They pray for us, pray for miracles. If you believe that sort of thing it's alright. If not, you're doomed. Although I must say they've made a pretty strong assessment after a fortnight of you being here."

Here Kid stopped. He eyed Maka, his gaze holding hers as she contemplated the information he'd given her. It was no more than she assumed but the truth hurt.

"I suppose. But I'm leaving one way or another. Interpret that as you will but I will not stay here for the rest of my goddamned miserable life. You can take my word for it. Anyway. What else are you here for. The colour of a wristband isn't anything to cry over."

Raising his eyes Kid took a deep breath. Not being as hostile as she could have been, Kid considered himself lucky. The joy of something good and insignificant happening was small but the black haired boy still basked in it.

"I came to ask what school you attended."

"Go fuck yourself."

Narrowing his eyes, the teenage boy leaned forward. His golden eyes scanned Maka's steely face.

"Excuse me. I don't think you answered my question. What. School. Did you. Attend?"

Maka straightened herself with a haughty expression. Eyes narrowed at kid, she smirked.

"And I don't think I'm going to answer it. How unfortunate."

In her heart, Maka felt a flicker of vulnerability. In her mind, the school she'd once been apart of was nothing more than a distant memory, something worth forgetting. She itched to take a match to it and watch gleefully as it was set ablaze. She wished to see every one of the students in writhing agony. She craved the freedom of wrenching her paste from her timeline and burning it to ashes. But she wouldn't burden Kid with her thoughts. The thoughts of the deaths of the mindless slaves living out their mundane lives.

"Listen Kid. I like talking. It's fun. But I swear to God do not pry into things concerning me. If I say I'm not going to tell you, then I'm not. Please and thank you."

Vaguely aware of the fire he'd fueled, Kid brushed down his suit, eyes never once leaving the pigtailed teenager. His head ached for validation, to know the truth. His soul was screaming for it. But he simply nodded, allowing the voice of Marie and Sid, calling for everyone to group together for morning activities. The conversation was disrupted and glad for the distraction Maka flew up, spinning on her heel away from Kid, away from her dead and buried memories of the hell she'd visited once upon a time.

 ** _A/N_**

 **My update is actually on time, less than a month after the last. If I carry on like this there'll be another one sometime at the end of the month but no promises~**

 **I wrote this in an hour and a half wOw there will be a lot of mistakes in this when I read through it when it's not two thirty in the morning eh**

 **Hope you all had a decent enough Christmas and/or New Years and/or any holidays you celebrate December through to January**

 **I'm tired as fuck and just gonna talk now. I looked at my laptop (actually my mums I broke mine lol) and was like, you wanted to update on New Years day but look at you, it's the morning of the third and all you have is a page of handwritten work. Which is crap by the way you should not use that. Motivation! Motivation! The continuity of this story died by the way. RIP continuity. Also there a lot of minor mess ups in the last chapter but HAHAHA no I cannot edit it I now have a headache mmmmmmmm bring me death.**

 **Kay. Night. Please review?**


	9. Chapter 8

Breakfast ended without fault, Kid having returned to his seat. Maka was kept back as every other patient filed out, Maria berating her for her poor behaviour. A roll of her eyes proved the young girl was beyond caring, choosing to furiously and rhythmically tap her foot against the carpeted floor, rather than listen to the nurse. Eventually putting the incident behind her Marie escorted Maka to the group therapy room where the rest of the patients were throwing fits over seating. It took Maka a moment to understand the situation. To compensate missing school, frequent lessons were being held in the therapy room during typical term time, three round tables surrounded each by four chairs carefully placed in the room, each one behind the the other.

Black*Star was on top of the middle table screaming that he'd wanted to sit at the front as Sid tried to calmly explain why the blue haired boy was no longer allowed. Maka momentarily wondered why that was. Liz was hiding under her chair under the table, protecting herself from the screeching teenage maniac. A quick look to the front showed Kid and Soul sat a seat apart, Soul slumped over the table.

Patty was giggling and encouraging black star while Blair prowled round the room. For a second the catgirls eyes caught Maka's and gazed into them. She made the point of not looking away until a few seconds had passed but Maka was sure that short amount of eye contact had scarred her. Ignoring the rest of the kids around her, Maka swiftly headed towards the front table and effortlessly slid into the seat between kid and soul, throwing a glance at the white haired boy. Looking at soul up close maka realised the boy had fallen asleep, long hair curling into his eyes, soft and fluffy, quiet snores fel through his barely parted mouth, his closed eyes were curled a little, smiling at whatever he was dreaming about. His body was closed off, arms tucked neatly under his head, which was in turn tucked into his arms. Maka wasn't sure why but she envisioned him to be a rough sleeper, someone who kicked and fussed and, while you couldn't exactly call it sleep-talking, wouldn't stop making noises until someone hit them over the head to wake them up. He was more peaceful in sleep than maka had ever seen him while awake. She didn't mean to stare but watching the boy, seeing his chest push up and down was a peaceful experience so she continued to take in all of his features, storing and categorising them in her mind, having nothing else to do while the therapists tried to calm all the other patients down.

Kid was watching Maka, eyeing the side of her head, thoughts racing. The yearning to get answers to questions he didn't know was still strong. He couldn't understand the attachment he felt, the need to question her about where she'd come from. He'd have felt the same pull with Tsubaki, had he not been reacting severely to the new medication they'd put him on the week she joined. By the time Kid's body had stopped self-destructing and cooperated, three weeks had passed and tsubaki was yet another hospital patient he knew. It seemed like a loss, really. Tsubaki appeared more willing and submissive than Maka, it would have been a lot easier to extract information. What information, Kid didn't know. His head was foggy and it hurt to cut open old wounds. His memories of before the hospital were almost gone, dreams that whispered away on the wind. He could remember his father's smile the first time Kid joined the school. God knows what the name was, he'd have to ask someone later. He remembered how the other children would leave him alone, knowing that if they dared touch him they'd answer to the principal. He could also remember the sharp loneliness that plagued him, the dark wretched thoughts that slowly drove him mad. The feeling of constantly being watched, being judged by those around him. The suffocating air as he walked into a classroom. The tense tightrope his peers trode upon while near him.

And just like that the doors were closed, Sid was handing out test papers, everyone having settled down over time. Maka was furiously scrolling through the test questions, her expression only showing disgust. Soul was dazed, scrubbing at his eyes to remove the leftovers of sleep. Kid held back a small groan as he saw his name messily scrawled at the top of the page. He could barely hold back from shredding the booklet when he noticed at least three dog eared pages. He focused on Sid's voice, focusing on the explanation of the test.

"Those of you who have been here for less than three months will be unfamiliar with this process. The majority of you are in the same age and curriculum group, so we're one year behind your current curriculum, seeing as this is not a school, but an institution of sorts to help you get better. The first section of this test covers core subjects, math, english and all three sciences, the second humanities and creatives, the third general studies/knowledge. The fourth section is specifically designed for each patient with a set of unique question to help assess your current state and health. And while I understand that trees are precious, I have printed multiple copies of each of your papers in the event someone decides to vandalise their own," Sid paused, glancing at the front table of problem students, almost grimacing when realising Maka fit so easily into the group, filling the gap between between soul and kid. He could only imagine the the amount of ways they could potentially ruin countless lives. He'd let them be for now, he had more pressing matters.

"I implore you not to complete anybody elses questionnaire and not to force people into sharing their answers," another glance showed Maka already scribbling answers down on the paper, Soul lazily copying her and kid subconsciously attempting to smooth out the folded edges of his papers. None appeared to pay any attention to the older man. He held back a sigh, leaving it up to their counselors to decide if they'd get in trouble.

"As soon as you done please hand in your test and then you may leave, with permission from either myself, Maire or azusa. You may begin."

* * *

Maka furiously scribbled the answers down, pausing at the end of the page to wait for the sound of Soul's pen to stop before turning over. Aware that Soul had opted to copy her answers Maka rationalised that there was no point in calling him out. She assumed Sid knew what he was doing and would take that into account when reading through. Even if he didn't, Maka wasn't the slightest bit bothered. She just wanted to reach the end, hand it in and leave. She couldn't bear to imagine being in Kid's position, the young boy having started with incensed tears building in the corners of his eyes. A few minutes in and he'd given up trying to smooth the ruined paper, instead folding all of the corners in a specific pattern to create a symmetrical look before finally beginning the actual test.

It didn't seem like a test in Maka's eyes. Nor did it seem like an exam. She supposed the correct term would be a quiz. Did it matter? She didn't know if the terms had any specific meanings and whether or not they were different. She did know some teachers favoured certain words, ones that gave the entire thing an air of professionalism. What she did know was that no matter what it was, test, exam, quiz, she just wanted to finish it quickly. She had no intent on completing the fourth section. It was a waste of time and even if she did, who could say it was the truth. It was always harder to conclude whether or not someone was lying when reading something they wrote. Speaking face to face allowed you to observe them, to watch, expose their mannerisms and falsehood.

Reaching the end of the third section the pigtailed blonde chose to flick through the remaining pages. She mindlessly scrawled generic responses and then stood, stalking up to Marie who was closest to her. Marie took it with a gentle grin, flipping rapidly through it to check Maka had made the effort to answer everything. Once satisfied she gestured towards the door and then Maka was gone, racing away from the room. She was tempted to pace around and explore for a short while but she blinked and out of nowhere noticed she was standing in front of the door to her room. Softly sighing, she nudged it open and dragged herself in, not bothering to push the door shut. With another sigh, more exasperated and frustrated, she threw herself onto her bed, welcoming the cold embrace of the duvet. Quickly it warmed to the temperature of Maka's body and the girl pushed up, sliding onto the floor. Her mind was exhausted but her eyes refused to close, energised and buzzing. This proved to be a problem until her idle gaze steadily rested on the bookshelf that resided in the other half of her room.

Instantly Maka's hands twitched, longing for a book to be rested between them. The teenage girl shot up from where she lay and began rifling through, trying to remember the particularly engaging stories, eventually settling on the hefty collection of Michael Morpurgo books she'd collected over the years. Working swiftly she stacked a few in her hands and made her way back to her resting place on the bedside floor. Relaxing her body for a mere second Maka picked the first one, Long Way Home, and settled into a more comfortable reading position. The process of immersing herself in a fantasy tale began and Maka's mind grew blank, her thoughts and feelings erased.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Super sorry for super late update. I had the first half (more than a half, a good 80%) written in January but I wanted to write more and then I kind of lost motivation until now? Soon I'm going to be going back and comb through my chapters and make edits where needed. I can't say how major the edits will be but as always with me the first few chapters may be a little more than tweaked as they aren't as thought through and improved as the rest. I sometimes read everything and note where I need to improve in later work so they just get left collecting dust and being a bad example.**

 **Thanks to all of you reading, read and review. Point out any mistakes I may have made because there are probably a ton. Until next time. Which will definitely be this month because I've gotten the entire next chapter written. Pray that I remember to upload it.**


	10. Chapter 9

Maka, still in a daze from reading throughout the afternoon, had stumbled to her feet, having meticulously cycled through all the books she'd picked out. Head wrapped in a bubble of fantasy the girl staggered over to the bookshelf, replacing the previous ones in her hands with fresh new ones, new stories desiring to be discovered. With the feeling back in her tired limbs Maka stode back to her seat on the floor and despite the subconscious protest from her legs, promptly sat down, shuffled slightly, and opened the book at the top of her pile. She delved into it immediately, savouring the disconnection she had with reality. In the short space of time she'd gotten half the book had been absorbed by the young teen before she was interrupted, an obnoxious voice piercing her safety bubble abruptly.

Shocked, Maka dropped the novel, gasping from lack of air, and panic from dropping her precious reading material. Eyes wide and eyebrows narrowed Maka looked up and gazed at Black*Star as if he'd just committed a major taboo. Passing her eyes to the right of him she spied Tsubaki, barely visible from where she hid behind the wall. Inhaling a deep breath Maka locked onto Black*Star again, anger replaced with annoyance and confusion.

"What do you want." Her tone was sharp and steely, the unexpected coldness in it sending even her reeling. She followed her question with an impatient salute, ready to ignore the intruders.

"I firmly believe that rest is important. However, you have skipped an important part of the day. I couldn't afford to let you miss another! I have lots of important announcements to make today and everyone needs to hear them. Everyone! All the sort of important people, and that includes you." Black*Star's simple yet extravagant speech grated against Maka's head as she comprehended what she'd just been told. If she said she truly thought Black*Star ever had anything important to say, she'd be lying. The walking talking blue-haired timebomb had only ever spoken utter nonsense and when he did talk about significant things, his speech was laced with riddles that no one could understand. Safe to say it was pointless to listen to him.

Maka rolled her eyes, not gracing the boy with a response. Her hand reached out for the book, a book, any book that should use to block out the white noise in the background.

"Marie has, she h-has an announcement. Important. It's important." Maka felt like a five year trying to be patient as she groaned, leaning back against her bed and breathing in deeply. The teenagers at the door watched, one unsure of what to do and the other running out of patience. Black*Star frowned and stepped in to latch onto Maka's wrist, his intent to pull her up and along with them. The girl snapped back her arm, the force knocking Black*Star off balance as steely forest eyes gazed fiercely at him. Maka was rubbing her wrist with vigor, eyes digging into Black*Star.

A moment passed.

Another.

She stalked past him, finally removing her eyes from him. She'd snatched up a book, a lengthy novel that she gripped in such a way that her knuckles were a pure shining white. She marched on sparing not a second to stand and wait for her peers to catch their bearings.

She reached the doors in a manner of minutes, shoving one open and slinking in through the slight gap. She collapsed into the nearest chair, swinging the book she'd brought up onto her lap where she swung it open and began to read. She barely acknowledged when the door opened again, Black*Star blubbering into Tsubaki's arm as they found a place to sit. She refused to acknowledge when Maire hushed everyone and began expressing herself excitedly, voice bouncing and echoing. She did notice, eventually, that there was an addition at her table. Unlike most days where he was slumped at a corner table awkwardly spooning pasta into his mouth, Soul was resting his head on the table in the seat next to her, his chair pulled out a little too far. Presuming he was asleep she took the liberty of pushing it in for him, taking the quiet mumble as a sign of gratitude. She carried on reading, somewhat peacefully, until Black*Star interrupted once more, this time though, by slamming his hands on the tabletop, waking Soul from his fitless slumber and enraging Maka a second time.

"Okay you stupid half-eaten sandwich buffet, what on bloody earth could you want? Don't say nonsense, don't turn it into a riddle, just. Say. It. Or I swear on everything holy I will lodge this book permanently in your skull. You better pray it's actually important enough to piss me off twice." Every word pronounced clearly, no one could mistake the venom in Maka's voice.

Black*star blinked obliviously before launching into a long winded spiel about birthdays before ending with a simple, "So yes, the most important day is upon us. My birthday. On Friday. Don't say I didn't say it was important. It's also the day of our trip. Also important but not as important obviously because I should take priority-" Maka focused on the word 'trip', mind at a lost as she tried to recall a trip. Soul seemed to not understand at first but soon just tilted his head in confirmation before lying back down, although this time not falling into a deep sleep.

Batting away Black*Star's hands which poked and prodded her for a response Maka turned to Tsubaki for explanation. The black-haired girl, more than happy to comply, drew in breath, throwing open her mouth to speak when Kid's voice rang from behind her. Already irate Maka braced herself, pleading quietly that he was addressing someone other than the small group that had begun gathering in the doorway.

"...So as you can see Maka,"

Okay, so he wasn't. Unable to withstand the pressure of the people around her Maka copied Soul, resting her head in her arms which she crossed on the tabletop. She faintly heard Black*Star question if they were dead before being silenced. Chair scrapes and rustles signalled that the ever-expanding group of people had drawn up chairs and sat down, clearly wanting to discuss an array of different topics, none of which seemed remotely interesting to the blonde.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **So change of plans? Today I was adding some more onto the 1,100 words you see before you but I eventually realised that the direction I was taking and the scene I had set made it hard to find a suitable point to stop before I ended up creating a crowded and unnecessarily lengthy chapter. FYI my definition of lengthy is compared to the rest of the chapters I've written. I'd update three consecutive days but I have parents evening and I'm not sure if I'm going home after school or holing myself in some bookstore in the town nearby?  
Also you might see a few minor/major changes of characters of a sudden ahahaha yeah... Crossing my fingers it's not too out of the blue. I have a sorta ending in mind too, warning, it's not gonna be nice. It's a frowny face ending. It's not fine tuned so I may change it. Take a gander at what it may be.  
AND LAStly to the couple of wonderful people who reviewed my last chapter may Jesus be in your hearts and may God bless you the holy heavens above amen you good people? Thank you? Okay, bye!  
**


	11. Chapter 10

"The last trip was awful! Can you believe they reserved a place at the most remote restaurant you can imagine and then stupid Jacqueline with her fear of loud noises, it's like she's a bloody mouse, can you believe it? A mess! Anyway I wasn't even enjoying the movie and Jacqueline contradicts herself with the way she screams. Did you hear that girl? She has good lungs. She'd be good at speeches or worshipping."

Maka lazily raised a hidden eyebrow, mutely musing over the fact that Black*Star knew how to use the word contradict. Ordinarily she'd sit up and spout a lengthy list of reasons why Jacqueline supposedly fearing loud noises was not in anyway the young girl's fault but Maka had sought solace in being comfortably sprawled atop a table surrounded by a cacophony of voices that constantly meshed together in a warm environment.

"Right, so, my plan is to print out some fake documents and swap them! Foolproof. If you know the way. Of course I'll be planning the heist. I'm obviously the best at that. In fact, I've already done so. I've done heists before too! Have any of you ever planned a heist?" Black*Star's voice broke through the nebulous haze. It seemed like a genuine question and Maka was elephant to believe he had, truly, planned and exhibited a heist before now.

"Marie has explained, in rather specific detail might I add, that any attempts n anyone's behalfs to 'sabotage', if you will, this trip in any way will be sighted beforehand and stopped. How do you expect to pull a successful heist in a faculty such as this Black*Star? I am all for listening to this greatly complex and foolproof plan you have supposedly concocted prior to this conversation."

Kid's biting response prompted a silent snicker from Maka and open laughter from more than two people. If she had to guess, Liz and Patty had made their way over at some point and- yes, when Maka slightly adjusted her head she could spy the two blondes pin straight hair. From where her head now resided she could just barely glimpse Soul's white mop of hair. She sensed a shift in the space around her and a nudge.

Checking, she saw it was a neat square sheet of paper with Soul's scrawlingly neat handwriting on it.

Maka had previously been unaware of any type of stationery being present among Soul's person, let alone paper and the ability to write without catching the attention of pretty much anyone while lying almost face down on a table. Shifting her body to read it without straining her eyes, vaguely noting Marie was almost conveniently preoccupied with one of the cooks. Maka blanked as she read, not understanding why Soul would tell her to 'Get up and grab a bowl of pasta ASAP I'm hungry and tired'. For one, she was fairly sure patients had to collect their own food and secondly, she was also certain a few choice patients, including her although they'd been pretty lax so far, had a loose diet of sorts to stick to. Aside from the fact that Soul had almost definitely eaten something already (filling his daily quota), Maka wasn't hungry and unless food was forced down her throat, was content to just relax.

Soul's foot impatiently slammed into Maka's leg, Maka biting hard on her lips to stop her from seething in pain. Obviously from Soul's rapid eye movements he wanted her to go and get the food he'd requested and by the way Marie had begun to glance at her with an air of expectancy, Maka complied.

Smiling graciously at Marie and the cooks, Maka scowled as she turned on her heel to head back in the direction of her table. Reaching it she dropped the bowl she'd been given moments before, lips curling in satisfaction when Soul flinched and shot his hands out to catch it. He curiously peered up as Maka twisted around his chair to plop back into hers and mournfully stare at the food. Blank expression on point, Soul produced a plastic retractable fork from a seemingly nonexistent pocket. With a scary precise move he dug the fork in and out, taking a sizeable amount of pasta with it and proceeded to swallow it all in seconds. He shoved the bowl in Maka's general direction, taking a forkful of food every few minutes. His companions didn't let the suspicious antics deter their conversation, they just crowded tighter together in one fluid motion. Maka didn't seem too bothered, poking a piece of pasta into her mouth once or twice before giving up and just mimicking Soul's actions a lot slower and more civilised, but without ever eating anything.

It took a short while but eventually all of the food was gone. Maka grabbed the bowl, quietly moving to the trolley where she placed the empty bowl. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Marie with a surprised expression on her face, almost proud. Thinking back, Maka supposed she hadn't eaten much, not recalling a day where she'd had a full meal. It didn't bother her, she wasn't much of a food lover. She wasn't paranoid, like Liz, and she wasn't anorexic. Food didn't hold any appeal to her. It was inconvenient.

Glancing at the clock Maka vaguely acknowledged that soon they'd be ushered down corridors and into their rooms to sleep. She felt weary, for once she felt like she could actually fall asleep and be left in peace. All she had to was wait.

When she reached her table again she realised the group crowding it had dispersed. Some had gone to finish their own meals, others setting their dishes on the trolley. A few were being escorted to their rooms but Maka didn't feel like joining them. Sitting down again, she kicked her legs out in time with the clock, keeping her feet and knees together. Her fingertips fiddled meticulously with the red cloth of her sleeves, tug, tug, twist, rub. And again. She might've nodded off once or twice but felt more or less awake as Marie began calling out for everyone to clear up and prepare to head to the dorms. The young girl stood and returned a wave to Soul, who'd spent the paste fifteen minutes doodling on the back of his hand in mild discomfort. They lined up in front of the doors as Marie did a final count and then led the way to the dorms. When they reached the corridor with the majority of the girls rooms, Marie waved a manicured hand and rushed off. Ignoring Tsubaki's tired attempts at saying goodnight Maka trailed into her room, leaving her door open as she did.

Again she collapsed, brooding for a mere moment before silently pulling herself up and under her covers, coiling herself into a ball. Uncomfortable with how the bands in her hair felt yet unwilling to rearrange herself Maka's hands crawled up through the duvet and yanked at the hair bands, tugging them out and flicking them onto the floor. Happy with her position, the girl allowed her eyes to close and the world to go dark.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Hi. So this chapter was a little short which I apologise for. The next chapter will have a little more length to it. Speaking of, updates should come more often now as well. So instead of once a month like I'd previously thought was needed, it'll be every week/fortnight. No set day but if you have a preference let me know.  
** **To go down the route I want to with this story, I'm going to be mixing up the POV a little. So far it's been mostly Maka, sometimes Kid. But now I'm going to move onto doing full chapters in a certain POV when it's required and when it gets a little repetitive being stuck in one person's view of things. I also think I need to work on Maka's portrayal more so... The next chapter will be from Soul's perspective and give a little more information as to why he's there, and why he's been there for so long. Hope you enjoyed, read and reviewed.**


	12. Chapter 11

From the moment Soul woke up he'd felt the tugging in his stomach and had he not have some form of self-restraint, would've thrown up then and there. It had taken a while, and he'd had tears build up in his eyes without ever spilling for the most part, but he was now in a fit enough state to latch onto the nearest blanket and heave himself up from his bed, his mind wishing to take a short stroll around the building. While he wasn't sure what the policy on sneaking around at night was, he was fairly certain no one bothered to check if he was up at four in the morning. Glancing out of the window, he saw dark swirling clouds gathering in the already pitch black sky and could make out a hazy mist settling upon everything.

He shrugged, mind still addled from the half-decent sleep he'd gotten. The gloomy weather might be what made him feel so exhausted, limbs heavy, his body yearning for rest. It was constantly like this, his deep desire for sleep was never satisfied, however, and probably never would be.

He stumbled through the halls, eyes barely discerning the things he was seeing. Twice he'd knocked into a wall, clouds fogging in his head as he tried to wake himself up properly. The white haired boy realised he'd stumbled into the corridor where another set of rooms were. Precisely, the set of rooms that people he knew slept in. Making his way to the end, he peered into Maka's room, it being the only one with the door ajar. He couldn't tell if she was sleeping or not, couldn't tell if that slight lump was human or just coincidence. If it was her, then he was somewhat glad she was asleep and unable to catch sight of his seemingly drunken self staggering through corridor after corridor. Sleep-deprivation did wonders for the mind and soul.

Deciding that stopping here was ultimately not a wise decision the boy headed back the opposite way, wanting to return to the privacy of his own quarters. He could lay in bed and nestle in beneath his duvets and shut his eyes tight, tight enough to delude him into thinking he was actually asleep. Nothing seemed more appealing

Nothing seem-

the pain was the worst. He often wondered if it was all in his head. The pain of struggling, of ignorance. The tugging was stronger and Soul knew he shouldn't have made Maka get the pasta earlier. Knew he shouldn't of eaten it. His companions were to blame too. Because of him. Knowing they wouldn't spill because of some unknown loyalty to him. It was stupid he thought as he pushed down the bile in his mouth.

 _Extraordinarily stupid._

He crumpled to the floor, worn-out. Did he care if someone found him here and questioned him? Of course. But did he care that he would care? Not particularly. So there he sat, head swimming, until the sun began to rise and the darkness outside began to fade to grey.

It was around this time that Kid found him, sliding down the wall making incomprehensible noises. The two sat for a while together in silence. It was nice. Soul turned his head to face Kid, crimson looking into butterscotch. They stared, stared into each other's eyes as the world around them woke up. Soul cocked his head with a slight forced grin, prompting one from Kid in response.

Was this friendship? Soul often wondered as he wandered about the mystery of friendship. It fluctuated, it was good, it was bad, it was good and bad. It was life or it was death and Soul knew which he'd prefer, had always known.

Was he and Kid friends? They tolerated each other, hung out together. They knew secrets about each other that would never spill from their lips unless it was the last thing they ever said, _blood_ _pouring thickly_ , trickling down the side of the mouth- blood is thicker than water? He never understood that. Why, just because they shared your blood, was family considered more important. Family was something you weren't given a choice about. If you had one, you were expected to love it, adore it, dedicate yourself to it's cause, _stand upright,_

 _play faster, play slower,_

 _quit complaining,_

 _no excuses,_

 _play._

Kid sighed. It was long and deep but it was relaxed. Soul wanted to believe they were friends. He trusted the kid who only ever wore suits, the kid who had three all natural stripes of white in his hair, the kid who used to cry whenever Soul's hair was messy and uncombed. He always used to cry. Soul didn't like brushing his hair.

His stomach lurched again, then again. Soul grimaced, gripping his blanket tighter. His head was pounding and when did that happen? When did he become so unaware of his own body?

The boy heard noise from beside him, the shuffling of a person pushing themselves over a carpet. He felt Kid close beside him, eyes peering through the same window Soul had been staring through before his stomach lurched _and_ lurched _and_ lurched _and_ lurched-  
Soul could hear Kids slow calculated breaths, even and constant. Waiting and counting along, soon the two boys rhythm was simultaneous and comforting. They made no other noise, the world around them nonexistent, other than the patch of grey sky that gleamed through the window.

When Maka crossed paths with them she hardly blinked, hardly daring to glance in their direction. Her hair wasn't tied up, Kid paid no attention to the uneven strands of unkempt blonde hair. She picked at her sweater sleeve, awkward in nature and in posture to but all previous anger and frustration from the day prior had gone.

No more than ten minutes later she stormed paste, violently jerking her leg to crash into a table leg. The vase that sat atop was now a million different shards and glittered. Soul allowed his eyes to latch onto Maka's - forest, he noticed - the girl breathed heavily, thrusting her head in the direction of the vase. Her hair spun as she looked back and forth, her mind settling on moving forward. Soul heard the telltale smash that broadcast the death of another pastel blue chinese vase. He could imagine Marie getting distraught.

Thinking over Maka's behaviour hurt Soul's head. She had too much personality. It was refreshing to be near her. It was refreshing to be near Kid who's head was tucked underneath Soul's and resting on his shoulder. The golden-eyed boy was in a daze, far from the present, _far from the bad places, far from Soul_ and that might have made Soul feel lonely.

He felt lonely-

He was lonely-

Soul didn't want to go to breakfast. He knew he couldn't fight, couldn't stop his own body because what did he know? He knew how to destroy and how to ruin and burn and he knew chaos. He was a little bit of a mess, he'd admit that much. What was his problem though? Did he care too little? No. No. He cared too much. He didn't like it, refused to acknowledge it. He'd scream, he'd yell. Caring was awful. It was as if every time someone else had a problem he had to carry the weight of it with them, on top of his own. On top of everyone else's. He yearned for meaning but his meaning had crushed him, his spirit his soul

 _His soul,_

he didn't have a soul. He was lifeless. How could he feel human again and not like the monster that was gnawing, gnawing, gnawing. He cared for Maka, although he definitely shouldn't because she was awful, she was bad- a bad, bad influence, that's what he was? No, that's what Maka was. But he can't convince himself can he. He'll cry time and time an _d goddammit_ time again because she'll ne _ver_ be _released_ , never be _free_ , never find the _urge to run away and fly_ from her demons. He'll cry for Kid. Son of the devil, a puppet that had been cut loose. Soul wanted to _hate_ him. No reason why. Soul was an evil spirit, destined to fester in hatred. Kid? Kid, he was sweet, too young despite being the same age as Soul, older even. Older, wiser, lonelier, sadder, and Soul had to try to help him. Try and fail. He could feel Kid's fear, the fear that clung onto every single person's life as they walked about their own personal hell without so much as a measly pamphlet to show them the way.

Oh yes, he cared. Was there a stronger word; Soul needed a stronger word.

But he didn't want to care did he? _That's why_ he stumbled, dragged his feet along the ground to the sound of hell's drums. His favourite word was no. Constantly on repeat. No, _you can't say_ she'll get better. No, _you can't smile_ to show him you understand. No, _you can't listen_ to them. No, _you can't help_ , can't stop and there's an itching in his fingers for the soft keys of the piano.

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 **Hope you enjoyed Soul's narrative. A lot of the punctuation in this is technically incorrect but we can gloss over that. I wrote this half asleep, I am tired. I'm hoping to completely re-arrange chapters 1 - 3 ( _again_ ) sometime in the next two weeks and then scroll through the rest and correct any errors and such. **

**The next chapter will be in Soul's perspective again, as well as the one after. The next official chapter update, bar the re-arrangement and editing, should be the beginning of the Easter holidays so next Friday to Sunday. Gotta keep it consistent. This wasn't a particularly long chapter, forgive me, but I promise the next one will breach 2000 words (this promise may cause a slight delay but we'll see).**

 **Edit - 03/04: This is false news. The next chapter won't get anywhere near breaching 2000 words. Sorry. I did try.**

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 ** _Read and review_ ^.^**


	13. Chapter 12

Loud footsteps penetrated the peace that settled on Soul's shoulders, causing the boy to wince. Kid was still present at his side, eyes blank as his head rested on the wall. Sitting up Soul glanced around to determine where the noise was coming from. He wished he had a clock. Perhaps, _only perhaps_ , he could convince someone to let him have a watch. Even the most creative mind would have trouble denying that request.

The owner of the footsteps came closer and soon became identifiable. Soul blinked once as Marie's eyes met his and her frown blossomed into a soft smile that was reflected in her eyes. Soul often wondered why she wanted this job. He wouldn't want it. But someone had to do it he supposed. Someone like Marie. Full of light and a giddy happiness. He didn't want to be around when it finally disappeared from her eyes. He lazily saluted, not shifting from his position.

"Morning Soul. I assume the vase was broken before you arrived?" Her words were sweet. Soul wondered if she was mocking him, insinuating he was to blame. He wasn't. Did he look as if he had the energy to smash objects that didn't belong to him? He harboured no ill intent to the inanimate glass shards scattered on the floor. If he wanted to hurt something, wanted to break something, he'd target something living. Preferably himself, but _no one_ had to know that?

"You'd be wrong. An hour or so ago Maka came along and kicked it down. Pretty sure she had one other victim. She was mad. Wonder why. Don't think she noticed me. Quiet as a lamb," Marie raised an eye at Soul's broken and soft-spoken explanation. The air around him was slow, steadily pacing behind the rest of the world.

"Oh. I should add that to her file. Thank you Soul. By the way, how long have you and Kid been there. Poor boy looks ready to snap by his uncomfortable position. If you plan to stay on the floor any longer you may want to move him. And breakfast officially starts in ten minutes. Group therapy straight after and the a free day if you don't count private sessions," Soul vaguely noted that Marie's entire body was coated in yellow and black. Odd choice of colours, "Tata then." She waved and disappeared, shoes softly kneading into the carpets with a heavy thud.

Groaning the white haired boy knocked Kids side, allowing him to fall into Soul where his eyelids fluttered before golden irises peeked into view. He thought back to when Kid had joined him, _kneeling_ next to him in the dark. Soul wasn't in a pleasant state of mind. Was he ever? Probably not, no. But having someone in more despair than him, someone who hid the same insecurities, having _someone he could trust_ was nice.

The pair wordlessly stood, one tripping over his own feet, clearly disoriented. Soul made the effort to help him to the corridor that housed the oak hall doors but dropped him off with the Thompson siblings, Liz retaliating with a disdainful glare laced with mistrust. Soul couldn't care less what the older girl thought of him, wasn't that how it was these days? She adopted his best friend _only friend_ into her family and became as protective of him as she did Patty. If anyone cared less for themselves, Soul would have to say it was Liz. Her paranoia wasn't aimed towards herself, rather at her sister's well-being and welfare, something Soul held a great disdain for.

It wasn't his business however, so with long fingers curled over the fabric of his blanket, Soul trekked back to his room. On his short journey, he had the unfortunate luck of skidding to a halt as Maka came sprinting down the hallway. Green eyes lighting up in panic she'd tripped, steel grip locking onto Soul's shoulder. Her breath was uneven, unnoticeable. Maybe she ran a lot. She seemed as if all she could ever do was run. Soul admired that. He also admired the way she stood straight, her hair still not tied but now brushed, no shoes adorning her feet. Her left hand was balled into a fist so tight that her fingernails were beginning to mark, bruise and tear her skin.

She threw a look over her shoulder before she was sprinting again, Soul left in a daze. He probably should have questioned her, who knew who she was running from? Maybe she was just running from herself. She liked dong that.

Soul sped up, reaching his door and twisting the knob shut as Marie bounded past. He wanted to feel the soft embrace of his bed but chose to pick up the tinted paper on his desk.

 _Dear Soul,_

 _Your brother has graciously decided to take a day off to visit you due to your father and I being fairly busy with business meetings. Of course, this does not mean we care for you any less. We both wish you well and pray for the day you can return to society. When your brother visits we'll be sending along a few gifts that we feel necessary for you to have. On top of that we thought it would be beneficial to send along a copy of Wes's most recent recital-_

A sudden coughing fit shook Soul, who felt as if someone was choking him. He swallowed desperately, dropping the letter back onto his desk. He gasped as a sharp pang hit his stomach, almost collapsing and tears blurred his vision. His head began to swim and he reached out to gather his thoughts in a futile attempt of regaining his posture. He heaved, falling against his bed and curling up. He still couldn't catch his breath, the air stuck in his throat. He wanted to claw it out, wanted to slice his windpipe open to release whatever was stuck there, making him feel like this. A faint breath of laughter escaped him, even more tears building up, obscuring his vision completely, he finally found he could stand, stumbling to his feet and reach for something, anything, to dry his face on.

He stood and recollected his thoughts, allowing himself to calm down. His mind drifted to the letter his parents had sent. He'd read the rest of it later but he was glad they were sending him Wes's recital. Soul couldn't think of the last time he'd actually seen one, been there to witness it and support his brother. It was nice they were being considerate and thoughtful for once. Soul couldn't remember the last time he himself had performed, could barely recall any of the long and numerous pieces he'd memorised during his younger years.

He ran a tired hand through his unkempt hair, rubbing at his eyes once last time. The boy shrugged on a warmer sweater, unwilling to lug his blanket around with him all day and slipped on a pair of worn trainers. Checking he had properly calmed down, he left his room, gently pulling the door to a close and resting his head against it. His eyes were dulled, unfocused as he pulled himself up and forced himself to bite his cheek and hold his head high.

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 **Not a long chapter I know. It's also a couple days late. I wrote this while having a mild headache as well so I can't say anything about the quality. It is, however, the Easter holidays so no. 1 -**

 **HAPPY EASTER**

 **and no. 2, the next update might be _next week_ Fridaybecause I kinda want to re-evaluate my life and de-stress during the holiday. which isn't me saying writing is stressful, just everything I have to do on top of just writing. Editing, polishing, reading-through, updating on a deadline although if I don't it doesn't make a difference because I've never given anyone a reason to believe I would. Mostly I want to indulge in a new habit I've picked up on.  
Also why I am extending the writing time is because I, uh, started writing the ending chapters. That's why this one isn't very long. I sat down to write it and an idea for a chapter popped into my head so I wrote that instead ^^. Right, I'm gonna go and sleep, hope you enjoyed! **

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**Please review ^^**


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